Media consumptions studies attempt to estimate population behaviors based on observed activities of a population sample. A panel operator designs a panel, which consists of volunteers (known typically as panelists) who agree to be monitored while engaging in specific activities, such as watching television. The panelists' behaviors are recorded and analyzed, and then extrapolated to the larger population.
Assembling such a panel may be time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, errors in the data collection efforts will adversely affect the validity of any analysis and extrapolation. Finally, panelists may find the monitoring process to be cumbersome and inconvenient.